Lockplate restrike

[FloridaConscript]

Re: Lockplate restrike

1. brother fox, who did the alteration for you? Mr. Zimmerman does not do such alterations, for fear of being thrown in the clink. (true story)
2.) anyone who has not read brother fox's pumpkin slinger article series would be well advised to do so. Excellent points made.

bryant/still savin' for a M1816 cone in barrel conversion.

[David Fox]

Re: Lockplate restrike

This cone-in-barrel conversion was wrought by Ledford's Trading Post of Hickory, N.C. There was more to it that Mr. Ledford contemplated and I can't say he'd leap at the opportunity to revisit the project. One could inquire. Mr. Zimmerman may not be too wide of the mark in refusing to fool with this method of conversion. Both North and South retired to storage cone-in-barrel "Belgian" conversions as rapidly as logistics allowed due to their high failure rate in proofing and in the field...the full pressure of the main powder charge is exerted directly upon the cone and its threads, sometimes with catastrophic results. I have an especial affection for this peculiarly ugly and awkward weapon. The very first Civil War musket I actually laid eyes upon was a Belgian conversion of an M.1816. An older kid brought it on our school bus to take to school as a show-and-tell (them were the days). I was in awe. And still am.

[NC5thCav]

Re: Lockplate restrike

Ledford's has some unique stuff from time to time as well.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Lockplate restrike

Zimmerman will do a good job with this kind of project, it is right in his wheelhouse. Just leave his Enfield well alone. Watts is toying with doing a cone-in-barrel conversion, the problem is finding reasonably priced flintlocks suitable for the conversion (no Indy/Paki qualify at present). Zimmerman won't perform the conversion, though if properly done there should not be excess risk of failing proof. Part of the problem in the Civil War-era was rifling the smoothbore left too little barrel wall to take the additional strain of threading a cone into it. Today's barrels are, how should we say, "thicker" than originals.

[FloridaConscript]

Re: Lockplate restrike

any of you firearm fellers go the numbers on belgian conversion vs. cone in drum?

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Lockplate restrike

Hallo!

I have never seen stats or numbers on the types of alterations.

The NUG "official" conversion method was the "second US" or Belgian alteration. (Followed by the "first US" or French alteration with the drum.)

The two worked okay enough with undersized round ball, but the rifled versions with the Minie ball increased breech pressures too much, and the alteration process shifted to added a completely new breech having an integral bolster.

And last, on a small scale and impossible to capture, one has the civilian (as well as limited Confederate contracted) gunsmith and even blacksmith done
drum style conversions.

Curt

[Pvt_M]

Re: Lockplate restrike

I know this isn't quite the weapon you're interested in, but it is a conversion from flintlock, the Belgian method I believe. It's a Harper's Ferry 1837, enjoy

[47thNYReb]

Re: Lockplate restrike

David, Someone gave me a box full of old CCG recently and I have been reading the first and third part of your fine article on pumpkin slingers.. Is is possible to get a complete copy of the entire article? As an aside, I have been trying to convince my wife that I have to have a pumpkin slinger and your articles make great reminders to leave around the house :) . Thanks.

[David Fox]

Re: Lockplate restrike

Comrade Rachal: Be delighted to burn copies of the other instalments. Send me your mailing address. Be aware time and research have made that series more curio than cutting edge and it's effect in reducing spousal reserves is, to my knowledge, untested. The point then ('then' being the '90s) was to encourage the significant introduction of .69 calibre 'slingers into the hobby. The durth of the .69 calibre weapons in early to mid-war portrails was then noticable. Few were to be seen in the field and they, pretty-much by necessity, originals. And I believe I coined the term 'pumpkin slinger' therein: I'd found a soldier's reference to them as 'pumpkin rollers' and altered it for the series. By the bye, Zimmerman should be receiving my "Last of the Mohicans" movie prop Charleville replica today to work his wiles upon.

[VMI88]

Re: Lockplate restrike

This is an old thread but I was wondering if there were any updates on how the project turned out?

[arkangel33]

Re: Lockplate restrike

I have the small AWP with Serifs for the barrel inspection when it would have been re-proofed after the conversion.